Makenna's Baptism

This weekend Makenna got baptized and many of her family attended. It was a very special day for Makenna and she did great. I thought she would belt out a loud cry when Pastor Kris poured water on to her head but instead she let out a silent scream. If only I could have taken a picture of her face. It was priceless.

After church we took many pictures (I would share them with you but my sister Tori took them on her camera so I must wait patiently to receive them). Once pictures were finished, we headed to our place for a good old fashion BBQ. We had all the fixings - burgers, chips, fruit, pasta salad, lemonade, and the best cupcakes ever! Everyone had a great time eating, visiting, and playing/sitting outside. All the guys even managed to squeeze in two games of basketball! We couldn't have asked for a better day. Thank you God for the beautiful weather and bringing the family together! God Bless Makenna!

My co-worker makes the best looking and tasting cakes ever. She made chocolate and carrot cake cupcakes along with a white with raspberry filling mini cake.

The yummy food:

Maya got spoiled this weekend by everyone even Great-Grandma Clara. How sweet is this picture?

and the new child of God is...Makenna!

Happy Friday

A few cute pictures for you on this beautiful Friday.  Have a great day. 

Happy Friday!

 

Loved Ones

I've been doing a lot of thinking these past few days.  I have been reminded it has been 2 years since my father passed away and 6 years since Dave's grandfather and father passed away.  Many memories are flashing in front of my eyes as I clearly remember the story behind each of them.  It is amazing how I can't remember what I ate yesterday or what shirt I wore but I can remember where I was and what I was doing 6 years ago when we got the "call".  These memories bring tears to my eyes and each were incredibly sad.  I wish I could turn the clock back and I wish all 3 of them were here today.  I know they would all be very fond of Maya and Makenna.  

I do have to thank them.  Because of them, Dave and I realized family and our friendships are the most important thing of all.  We didn't put these first in our lives until 6 years ago.  It is then we decided to leave the big city to move closer to family and to start our family.  Because of them, we are more grounded, caring, and understanding.

We will forever miss these wonderful people and will always cherish our memories.  May they continue to rest in peace.  God Bless each of them.

Work of Art

I'm in love with this:

 
 

It is the most fabulous picture I have ever seen thanks to Ria Lee Photography.  I am blown away.  Ria truly captured the beauty of my two girls in a way I've never seen.  My girls are only little once and this canvas picture will allow us to remember this time in our lives.  It is truly a piece of art.  I'm in love.

Happy Easter

How are you spending your Easter?  We are celebrating the meaning behind it by attending Easter service at our amazing church and seeing if the Easter bunny paid the girls a visit.  I have a feeling he came :) 

Hope you all have a wonderful Easter!!!!

Crafty

I've been feeling a little crafty these days which is not like me at all!  I usually have lots of ideas roaming through my head but I never usually take time to make them into a reality.

My idea was this - I would make letters and string them together to make Makenna's name for her bedroom wall.  Easy enough.  I started by strolling the aisles of Michael's and Joann Fabrics to get some ideas of how to make my idea into a reality.  I ended up picking up some coordinating paper, miniature clothes pins, some fun flowers, and a pack of these fun crystals.  I already had some ribbon to match and of course my hot glue gun.

 

I asked a friend of mine to cut out the letters with her Cricut machine and then I just had to assemble.  I think it turned out fantastic with very little money invested.  Such a cute way to add some personality, uniqueness and charm into Makenna's bedroom. 

Quality Time

As a working mother of two adoptive girls, topics arise in my head about various things such as parenting, arts & crafts, kids related topics, etc.  Therefore I have decided to start a discussion on my blog twice a month on a specific topic.  I'd love for anyone reading my blog to provide their insight to the topic to help all of us learn more.  If there is a certain topic anyone is interested in, please let me know.  I can always been reached at ethiopiatofargo@gmail.com.

This week's topic:

Question: How do you spend quality time with your child or children? 

I often think about this very topic as I don't feel I spend enough quality time with my two girls, especially with Maya.  As a working mother who spends 45 hours a week minimum outside of the home, there is little time left over in the day to spend with my family.  The time I do have seems to be filled up with dinner, baths, and our bed-time routine which is brushing teeth, changing clothes, and reading a book.  Not only is our time very limited, but I am exhausted. 

The time we do have is spent together but I don't feel it is quality time but what is the definition of quality time?  One can argue eating dinner as a family and reading books before bed-time as quality time.  These things we do almost daily but I don't feel we use the rest of the time wisely.  Let's take the other night - we ran an errand right after dinner, took quick baths and then watched 30 minutes of American Idol.  Is that quality time? 

How does one maximize his/her time when it is so limited?  Thankfully spring is finally here and we can start enjoying the outdoors.  For some reason, it seems easier to spend quality time together as a family when you can get outside and enjoy the weather versus being cooped up indoors.

What do you think?